Throughout our 60 years of ministry, we’ve been blessed by an array of artists and speakers who, through their talents, demonstrate a passion for releasing children from poverty. In fact, many sponsors first hear about our ministry through an artist or speaker.

Compassion Artist Michael W. Smith in Kenya

I was poking around the ministry archives again when I stumbled upon a commercial recording from a famous ministry spokesperson.

I had NO idea this person was a spokesperson for Compassion so I was thrilled I was when I heard her voice.

Can you think of who this famous woman could be? I’ll give you three hints:

She is considered one of the greatest women in country music

She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

She was the wife of Roy Rogers

I know, I know, the third hint gave it away!

Yes, Dale Evans recorded a series of commercials for us in the 1970s when our offices were still located in Chicago. Here it is:

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Compassion Radio Commercial

Isn’t that fantastic?! I can’t help but wonder how many children were sponsored due to that 14-second clip.

How about you? Did a Compassion artist or speaker introduce you to our ministry? If so, who was it?

Compassion had been on my mind for a while, and then I went to a Michael W. Smith concert. Hearing his first-hand accounts of the difference Compassion makes convinced me it was the right time to act. I went to a Compassion table in the lobby of the venue, and asked a volunteer if there were any kids from Haiti (I knew in my heart this was where God was leading me to sponsor). He looked me in the eye and said “I know just the one.” He went down the table and picked up a packet to hand to me. It was love at first sight. That little girl stole my heart in an instant. It was just the beginning though. I now sponsor 8 children. Compassion has proved to me over and over how they change the lives of children, and their family. I’ll never forget that concert.

I loved Dale Evans as a child. I watched her and Roy on TV on reruns. I learned about Compassion via a podcast of the Columbus Vineyard. Wes Stafford shared his vision. Then, I read the book about life experiences in Africa. My home church in New Orleans supports your work. I do in spirit as I have a program for children in Honduras. I was hoping Compassion would come alongside me and help, but God has seen otherwise. Regardless, I am a huge fan of your work in Honduras.

Oh Laurie, I was so excited when I heard Dale’s voice in that clip. It’s been fun discovering different aspects of ministry history. And that is wonderful Laurie that you have ministry in Honduras. Even though we didn’t come alongside, I am confident God is weaving something very special for you in the work you are doing. He is amazing like that!

I first learned about Compassion at a Denver and The Mile High Orchestra concert, they came to our area and had a presentation of Compassion on it, and I sponsored a little girl from Bolivia. that was 2 years ago and now I have 6 children, 3 sponsored and 3 correspondence children. I love Compassion and the outreach to the poor and I love being able to write to these kids, and tell them they matter, and to tell them how much God loves them. !

I love how you worded that Chuck…”we met our compassion child”… because even though it’s just a photo at first, it really does feel like you have met them. That’s how I felt when I first saw my sponsored child’s photo.

I heard Bart Campolo (Tony’s son) speak at my college chapel back in 1994. I don’t know how much of his message was about Compassion (I don’t even know if he was ever and official spokesperson), but I did leave chapel knowing I had to sponsor a child. I went back to my room, found an old copy of CCM magazine, cut out an ad for Compassion and sent in a request for a child!

He spoke at my college chapel in 2005. I went out to the table “just to look”. I saw a cute little girl in a dress that looked similar to something I wore as a child. Then someone a little ways down the table seemed to be pointing in her direction, so I quickly picked up her packet myself. That’s when I saw that we had the same birthday! I knew I had to sign up and sponsor her! I’ve since visited her twice and added 5 other kiddos to my Compassion family.

It was an insert in a Michael W. Smith cassette tape (Change Your World to be precise) that got me thinking about Compassion. It was around that time a radio special he did for them came on and I recorded it. By the time I was a senior in high school (1996) I had decided that no matter what, I was sponsoring a child. And I did! I’ve been with Compassion International ever since. For the last 6 years as both a sponsor and an advocate. I can still remember my favorite part of that radio special, when Smitty is talking about his sponsored child Gavi “And there was this seven year old girl, making a sprint for Smitty. It was like a Kodak moment.” Yes, and it stuck in my mind, along with all the other good things I learned. Starting with the insert in a cassette tape.

So often I wonder what impact the work I do has on others. Your story, Holly is such a great reminder that everything I do matters. And all these years later you are a part of a child’s life because of that insert. I pray that my work will have the same affect on someone. Thank you for sharing!!

I heard about Compassion from Robbie Seay. He came to speak to my youth group while we were on a mission trip in the area he was about to have a concert in. He told us all about the organization and the connection that he and the band had to them then showed us pictures from his recent trip to the Dominican Republic to meet their sponsored child. He passed packets around and I came home and sponsored my sweet girl from El Salvador. That was 3 years ago and I have now added 3 correspondent kids to my family and got to go to El Salvador and meet my child this summer.
Robbie will always have a special place in my heart for connecting me to this wonderful organization!

I know what you mean about the “special place in my heart” – I would love to meet Bart Campolo and tell him how is faithfulness in spreading the word of Compassion has impacted my life.

I did get to meet Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith (exactly one year ago today) and thanked them for their work regarding Compassion. I admire the artists who speak up, because they are changing so many lives with their influence.

I was first introduced to the work and ministry of Compassion International in 2009 by singer/speaker Grant Norsworthy (with Paul Colman Trio or pc3, formerly with Sonicflood, see grantnorsworthy.com). We have had the privilege of having Grant sing and speak in El Paso several times in the last few years and at practically every meeting, Grant gives an invitation to sponsor children through Compassion Intl. Several hundred children have been sponsored as a result of his visits here – he is a very compelling speaker :-). We started sponsoring a girl from Colombia back in 2009. She has been such a blessing to our family, it’s like she is one of our own…. This also led to me volunteering with Compassion Intl., helping out with sign-up tables at concerts, which I find VERY rewarding.

Thank you, Grant, thank you Compassion for making me and my family more aware of what we can do to make a difference in the world – one child at a time!

I choose my first Compassion child from a group of packets at a Bebo Norman concert, way back in 2000. I was a senior in college and a friend and I decided to sponsor her together. Eventually I sponsored her myself. She is no longer in the program, but I have two more sponsor children now.

I went to a Rich Mullins concert in 1994 with my 13 yr. old daughter. she wanted to sponsor a child right then and there, but I just picked up a brochure and took it home to run it by my husband first. He approved, and we sent in a card asking for a teenaged girl from South America. I received the packet, opened it up, and immediately fell in love with 13 yr. old Maria from Ecuador. We’ve been sponsoring children in Ecuador ever since. I went on my first sponsor tour last year. WONDERFUL!

God moved me to sponsor a little girl at a Christian festival, Creation in 1985. She was the same name and age as my daughter. I’ve never looked back, and have sponsoring kids ever since. My daughters are grown, and they both sponsor several kids as well. They grew up with it, and it just came naturally to them, praise God!

We began sponsoring through Compassion at a Michael W. Smith Christmas concert in 2004. We had only been married a month, and financially we weren’t even “supposed” to have been able to come to that concert. I had heard of Compassion and known friends who sponsored children prior to this, but had not sponsored myself. 8 years later, our Compassion family has grown to 7 between our sponsored and correspondence children, and we are advocates who also happen to be artists. So, we’re officially in the advocates network, but when we travel to lead worship at churches, camps, ETC, we share about Compassion and encourage our audiences to sponsor a child.